Project Management Professional (PMP)

Project Management Professional (PMP)®

Examination Content Outline

Project Management Institute

Project Management Professional (PMP)®

Examination Content Outline

April 2015

Published by:

Project Management Institute, Inc.

14 Campus Boulevard

Newtown Square, Pennsylvania 19073-3299 USA.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction...... 1

Domains, Tasks, and Knowledge and Skill Statements...... 3

Performance Domain I: Initiating the Project ...... 4

Performance Domain II: Planning the Project ...... 5

Performance Domain III: Executing the Project...... 7

Performance Domain IV: Monitoring and Controlling the Project ...... 8

Performance Domain V: Closing the Project...... 9

INTRODUCTION

The Project Management Institute (PMI) offers a professional credential for project managers,

known as the Project Management Professional (PMP)®. PMI’s professional credentialing examination

development processes stand apart from other project management certification examination

development practices. PMI aligns its process with certification industry best practices, such as those

found in the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. The PMP® credential is also

accredited against the internationally recognized ISO 17024 standard.1

A key component of this process is that organizations wishing to offer valid and reliable professional

credentialing examinations are directed to use a Role Delineation Study (RDS) as the basis for the

creation of the examination. This process utilizes knowledge and task-driven guidelines to assess the

practitioner’s competence, and determine the levels of salience, criticality, and frequency of each of the

knowledge, tasks, and skills required to perform to the industry-wide standard in the role of a project

manager.

The Role Delineation Study ensures the validity of an examination. Validation assures the outcome

of the exam is, in fact, measuring and evaluating appropriately the specific knowledge and skills

required to function as a project management practitioner. Thus, the Role Delineation Study guarantees

that each examination validly measures all elements of the project management profession in terms of

real settings.

PMP credential holders can be confident that their professional credential has been developed

according to the best practices of test development and based upon input from the practitioners who

establish those standards.

The PMP examination is a vital part of the activities leading to earning a professional credential,

thus it is imperative that the PMP examination reflect accurately the practices of the project management

practitioner. All the questions on the examination have been written and extensively reviewed by

qualified PMP credential holders and tracked to at least two academic references. These questions are

mapped against the PMP Examination Content Outline to ensure that an appropriate number of

questions are in place for a valid examination.

PMI retained Professional Examination Service (ProExam) to develop the global PMP Examination

Content Outline. Since 1941, ProExam has provided a full range of assessment and advisory services to

organizations across a broad range of professions, in support of professional licensure and certification,

training, and continuing professional education. ProExam is dedicated to promoting the public welfare

through credentialing as a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization.

Published jointly by the American Education Research Association, National Council on Measurement in

Education, and American Psychological Association. The PMP credential is also accredited by the American

National Standards Institutes (ANSI) against the internationally recognized ISO/IEC 17024 standard: Conformity

Assessment—General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification of Persons.

PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – April 2015

Finally, although the PMP Examination Content Outline and A Guide to the Project Management

Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) have commonalities, it is important to note that those involved in

the study described previously were not bound by the PMBOK® Guide. They were charged with

defining the roles of individuals leading and directing projects, and using their experience and pertinent

resources to help in this task.

Although many of the domains, tasks, knowledge, and skills outlined by the PMP Examination

Content Outline are also covered by the PMBOK® Guide, there are some that are unique to the PMP

Examination Content Outline. Candidates studying for the examination will certainly want to include the

current edition of the PMBOK® Guide as one of their references, and would be well advised to read

other current titles on project management. An excellent source of these titles, utilized in PMP

examination development, is found in the PMI member resource eReads and Reference.

PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – April 2015

DOMAINS, TASKS, AND KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL STATEMENTS

This section of the report contains the domains, tasks, and knowledge and skill statements as defined

by the Role Delineation Study.

Each domain contains tasks that are measured through the PMP certification progress. In addition,

the domain contains knowledge and skills, which are required to competently perform these tasks. There

are also cross-cutting knowledge and skills, which are used in multiple domains and tasks.

II.

III.

IV.

Initiating the Project

Planning the Project

Executing the Project

Monitoring and Controlling the Project

Closing the Project

IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS IS NOT THE FINALIZED VERSION OF THE PMP EXAMINATION

CONTENT OUTLINE. THE PROPORTION OF QUESTIONS FROM EACH DOMAIN THAT WILL

APPEAR ON THE EXAM HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED. ADDITIONALLY, THE

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS ASSOCIATED WITH THESE DOMAINS AND TASKS WILL BE

FORTHCOMING.

THIS INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE NO LATER THAN 15 JUNE 2015.

PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – April 2015

PERFORMANCE DOMAIN I: INITIATING THE PROJECT

PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – April 2015

PERFORMANCE DOMAIN II: PLANNING THE PROJECT

Domain II

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Task 4

Task 5

Task 6

Task 7

Task 8

Task 9

Task 10

Planning the Project

Review and assess detailed project requirements, constraints, and

assumptions with stakeholders based on the project charter, lessons learned,

and by using requirement gathering techniques, in order to establish detailed

project deliverables.

Develop a scope management plan, based on the approved project scope and

using scope management techniques, in order to define, maintain, and

manage the scope of the project.

Develop the cost management plan based on the project scope, schedule,

resources, approved project charter and other information, using estimating

techniques, in order to manage project costs.

Develop the project schedule based on the approved project deliverables and

milestones, scope, and resource management plans, in order to manage

timely completion of the project.

Develop the human resource management plan by defining the roles and

responsibilities of the project team members, in order to create a project

organizational structure and provide guidance regarding how resources will

be assigned and managed.

Develop the communications management plan based on the project

organization structure and stakeholder requirements, in order to define and

manage the flow of project information.

Develop the procurement management plan based on the project scope,

budget, and schedule, in order to ensure that the required project resources

will be available.

Develop the quality management plan and define the quality standards for the

project and its products, based on the project scope, risks, and requirements,

in order to prevent the occurrence of defects and control the cost of quality.

Develop the change management plan by defining how changes will be

addressed and controlled, in order to track and manage change.

Develop the risk management plan by identifying, analyzing, and prioritizing

project risks, and defining risk response strategies, in order to manage

uncertainty and opportunity throughout the project life cycle.

PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – April 2015

PERFORMANCE DOMAIN III: EXECUTING THE PROJECT

PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – April 2015

PERFORMANCE DOMAIN IV:

MONITORING AND CONTROLLING THE PROJECT

PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – April 2015

PERFORMANCE DOMAIN V: CLOSING THE PROJECT

Domain V

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Task 4

Task 5

Task 6

Task 7

Closing the Project

Obtain final acceptance of the project deliverables from relevant

stakeholders, in order to confirm that project scope and deliverables were

achieved.

Transfer the ownership of deliverables to the assigned stakeholders in

accordance with the project plan, in order to facilitate project closure.

Obtain financial, legal, and administrative closure using generally accepted

practices and policies, in order to communicate formal project closure and

ensure transfer of liability.

Prepare and share the final project report according to the communications

management plan, in order to document and convey project performance and

assist in project evaluation.

Collate lessons learned that were documented throughout the project and

conduct a comprehensive project review, in order to update the

organization’s knowledge base.

Archive project documents and materials using generally accepted practices,

in order to comply with statutory requirements and for potential use in future

projects and audits.

Obtain feedback from relevant stakeholders, using appropriate tools and

techniques and based on the stakeholder management plan, in order to

evaluate their satisfaction.

PMI PMP Examination Content Outline – April 2015

Making project management indispensable for business results.®

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